Arizona shows championship abilities in dominant opening win
No. 1 seed Arizona dominated No. 16 seed Long Island in its first game of the NCAA Tournament, showing all the tendencies of a title contender.
SAN DIEGO — The most interesting part of Arizona’s opening-round NCAA Tournament game arrived 24 hours before tip-off, when Long Island senior forward Jamal Fuller opted for a bizarre dose of honesty. Fuller had been asked the most standard of news conference affair: What do you think of your upcoming opponent? It’s an opportunity to praise the opposition; to give opposing newspapers and TV channels a simple quote that they can add to game previews.
The responses are supposed to sound like Arizona guard Anthony Dell’Orso’s did, when he said, “This team, even though they're a 16 seed they're still a great team. ” But Fuller, instead, jumped into a critique of the No. 1 seed Wildcats, who were listed as 30.
5-point favorites. “They don't shoot the ball as great,” Fuller said. This was not merely a player with limited media experience speaking out of turn.
It appeared to be part of Long Island’s strategy in the build-up to tip-off. A few moments later, head coach Rod Strickland added, “Not a great 3-point shooting team. ” The bluster was bizarre coming from an opponent, much less one as unheralded as Long Island.